IOST holds different programs at different times for different age groups for many reasons. Firstly, this is because of limited space in our masjid. Alhamdulillah, we have hundreds of students coming to learn at the masjid. Secondly, Imam Anas would like to teach as many grades as possible. Thirdly, our philosophy is that younger students should not have classes with the older students in the same location. This is why we have split the classes into different times.

AL- NUR ACADEMY/ MA’RIFA PRORAM DATES AND TIMINGS:
This year, Al-Nur Academy will run from Sunday, October 16, 2022 to Sunday, June 18, 2022. Classes are held every Sunday from 11 AM to 2:00 PM for Al-Nur Academy and 3 PM to 5 Pm for Ma’rifa Program. There has been a delay in our starting date because of the masjid’s renovations. There will be a total of 36 weeks of school, with 7 weeks of breaks in between, for a total of 29 weeks of instruction. We are asking all teachers to make the commitment of attending the entire year, so that we can plan accordingly. Here are the 8 weeks in which there are no classes.

11/27/2022 – Thanksgiving Break
12/25/2022 – Winter Break
1/1/2023 – New Year Break
2/19/2023 – President’s Day Break
4/16/2023 – Ramadan Break
4/23/2023 – Eid-ul-Fitr Break
5/28/2023 – Memorial Day Break

IQRA AFTER-SCHOOL DATES AND TIMINGS:
IQRA After-School will take place Monday through Thursday every week, except the the weeks that we have off. During those weeks, there will be no class on the Thursday before and the Monday afterwards. Parents will notified when there is no class via text messages. 

The IOST Education pricing and fees are simple. All classes are $20 dollars a month, per child. There are no discounts for multiple children. This mean that a child who registers for IQRA After-School and Al-Nur Academy will be paying $40 a month.

Alhamdulillah, we have a staff of over 30 teachers who help us run IOST Education. We cannot sustain without their help and dedication. The fees collected to help pay those teachers for their time. Other mosques across the United States will charge over $100 a month for these same classes. 

Financial Aid is available for those who are unable to afford the classes.

The following is a list of our teachers at the masjid.

Al-Nur Academy: Imam Anas Shaikh (Director, Sister Manar Sabry (Principal), Br. Mohammad Bataineh, Sr. Esra Ghazo, Sr. Safa Nadeem, Br. Ussama Harris, Br. Avras Taha, Sr. Malayka Mudassar, Sr. Asmae Lhamrani, Sr. Seema Shah, Br. Mohammad Saifullah, Sr. Maria Khan, Sr. Nazish Ahmad, Sr. Nazik Mustafa, Sr. Maria, Sr. Asma, Br. Hassan 

Ma’rifa Program: Sr. Farha Fawaz, Sr. Rohe Ahmad, Sr. Areeba Baig, Imam Anas Shaikh, Br. Firaaz Fawaz, Br. Faraaz Fawaz.

Deen Connect: Imam Anas Shaikh and Sister Areeba Baig

IQRA After-School: Imam Anas Shaikh, Sr. Aminah Ashraf, Sr. Hanan Ali, Br. Ramadan, Br. Hassan Khan

There are two primary types of classes. The first is the weekend Islamic Studies classes. There are three different classes for Islamic Studies based on the the age group, which are Al-Nur Academy, Ma’rifa Program, and Deen Connect. Please note that in the weekend classes, we do not teach any Qur’an, Duas, or Arabic. That is taught in our second type of class.

The second type of class is the daily after school Qur’an classes. These classes are held daily and focus on Qur’an reading, memorization of Surahs, Duas, Salah, and more. There are no Islamic Studies classes held in the weekdays, and only held on the weekends. This is why we recommend signing up for both classes.

Al-Nur Academy:
In the Al-Nur Academy Sunday School, the focus is on Islamic Studies. Islamic Studies are broken down into 6 different subjects; Fiqh, Hadith, Aqeedah, Akhlaq, Sirah/Tarikh, and Personal Development. The syllabus and curriculum that Al-Nur Academy will be using is called the Safar Academy series. These are a series of books that are published with age appropriate material and textbooks for each grade. We will be using the books from Grade 1 to Grade 5 in this series. Each grade comes with two books, a textbook and a workbook. Each week, roughly one lesson from both the textbook and workbook should be completed.

 Ma’rifa Program:
In the Ma’rifa Program, our middle school students are taught 3 different books. The first book is the Grade 6 Safar Academy Textbook and Workbook. The second book is a book that focuses on the essentials of Islam, and the purpose of Islam, which is called, “A Young Person’s Guide to Understanding Islam”. The last book used is “Easy Good Deeds” which focuses on easy ways to become a better Muslim.

Deen Connect:
In the Deen Connect Program, the texts that the high-school halaqah will be based on are “Futuwwah” and “War Within the Hearts”.

Alhamdulillah, we have a very whole syllabus and curriculum which covers all major aspects of Islam. We hope this syllabus is beneficial to our students. We pray to Allah SWT that he accepts from us.

At the IOST masjid, all of our programs (Al-Nur Academy, Ma’rifa Program, and Iqra Afterschool) are scheduled so that there is a prayer during class time. Therefore, we would like to remind parents that all students are required to pray, and that there is no dismissal before prayer. Students should come to the masjid with their wudu and girls should bring their hijab. 

At IOST, there are three main rules regarding in-class behavior. Failure to follow any of these rules will result in termination from IOST Education programs. 

1. Keep your hands to yourself: Students are not allowed to hit others or fight with others. Students who instigate fights will be terminated and not allowed back for the remainder of the year.
2. No talking back to teachers: All teachers MUST be listened to and obeyed at all times. Students must follow the teachers directions, and not be disrespectful to the teachers. Any student who is disrespectful will be asked to leave the classes.
3. No bad language: No bad language is allowed in class. 

Apart from these offenses, student who misbehave will be sent to the principal. The discipline policy reads as follows:
If a student is misbehaving and needs to be disciplined,  teachers first should try to handle the matter themselves as best as possible. For small issues, teachers should try to distract the student by having him or her engage in another activity, e.g.  ask them to pass out papers or collect pencils or grab a napkin. If that doesn’t work, a three warning system can be used, with the first two being only verbal warnings “that’s your first warning, ___”. On the third, ask the student to step outside, say “meet me on the other side of the door.” Always follow up on warnings and avoid making empty threats or you  will not be taken seriously. If two students are usually acting up together consider separating them. Avoid giving the discipline in front of the other students, only talk to them and discipline them when they have stepped outside of the classroom. Tell them you will talk to their parents (but also you should actually talk to their parents when needed).  Let Sr. Manar know if someone is causing serious issues.

All of our classes are held at the Islamic Organization of the Southern Tier. 

For the 2022-2023 year, IOST is removing all COVID-19 precautions. Masks are now optional, and there is no social distancing. Additionally, no quarantine is required, but we encourage those who are sick to always  stay home and take necessary precautions to stay safe.

You can reach out to both Imam Anas and Sister Manar Sabry for question or concerns. They are available through email, text, and phone.

Imam Anas Shaikh: Call/Text: 607.821.9409 | Email: anas@iost.org

Sister Manar Sabry: Call/Text: 585.755.9433 | Email: sundayschool@iost.org